


Daughters of Darkness

by celiawrites



Series: Daughters of Darkness [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson), Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Book 3: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson), Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson), Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Family, Fantasy, Friendship, Hogwarts Era, Hufflepuff, Multi, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV Alternating, POV Female Character, Series, Slytherin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-05-19 19:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19362607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celiawrites/pseuds/celiawrites
Summary: New York girls Clarissa Bradley and Renee Sanderson have a lot of opinions. Neither really wanted to be a demigod or a witch. At first, they didn't even like each other. But when they are dragged into the fates of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, they begin to question everything about themselves and their own world. First in the Daughters of Darkness series.*Set during the years Harry Potter is at Hogwarts and Percy Jackson is at Camp Half Blood (I have moved the HP timeline forward ten years to match the PJO timeline)*In conjunction with a fic of the same name on fanfiction.net. I hope to have this updated completely to match that fic by the time I get to the sequel.*I started writing this in 2015, and have been posting it on fanfiction.net steadily. I will slowly update more of the chapters to here, probably one every two days, but if there is a demand for more frequent updates, I can easily update more than that. Post a comment if you want quicker updates and I'll do it up to the point I'm currently writing.





	1. Prologue

_“No! For the last time, Lucius, I will not take the Dark Mark!” Narcissa cried. Ever since her son, Draco, had been born, her husband was only getting worse._

_“I’ll curse you, Narcissa!”_

_Narcissa raised her wand. “Expelliarmus.” she laughed. “You never did learn to block that one, did you Lucius? You will never curse me. Dobby, my hat, please.”_

_“Where are you going? We’re in the middle of a huge storm, Narcissa, you can’t go out like this!”_

_“If Muggles are, I think I will be alright, Lucius. Dobby, make sure Draco is still asleep.”_

_“Yes, Mistress,” the elf squeaked after handing Narcissa her hat._

_As Narcissa was walking, she came across a tall man with a sort of glow about him. She smiled. “Apollo. How nice to see you.”_

_“Narcissa.”_

_They walked along the deserted road. Even though it was Halloween, Lucius Malfoy always made sure that no Muggles ever came near. “I cannot believe your husband has not noticed yet. What are you, six months?”_

_Narcissa nodded. “I think it’s a girl.”_

_“We have to stop meeting so frequently, your Lucius will figure something’s up.”_

_“I know.”_

_“I can….speed up the process if you want. Make her grow faster. She could be born tonight, if you want. As the god of prophecy, I can tell you something’s happening. It would be better for her to be born now. I can also speed up her growth. It will be important for her to start at Hogwarts in a certain year, Narcissa.”_

_“Okay, I guess.”_

_“Meet me at the Empire State Building in New York in ten minutes.”_

_Apollo summoned a sunbeam at his will. That always impressed Narcissa, his beautiful girlfriend. “Now apparate, and quickly,” he whispered, and then he was off at the speed of light._

_Narcissa had never been to the United States before, so she was a little scared. She saw the Empire State Building in front of her, but she only had a moment to look before her boyfriend whisked her away on his sunbeam. Suddenly they were in the woods on the outskirts of town. “You know this is safe. I am also the god of doctors, Cissa.”_

_Narcissa blushed. No one, not even Lucius, ever called her a pet name before she met Apollo._

_A few minutes later, Narcissa was moaning. The baby was on the way. It was, in fact, a girl, and even then Narcissa knew that she would attract people the same way her father did. Apollo bent over his daughter, said something in ancient Greek, and his daughter transformed into a girl who was a year older. “Spend the night, Cissa? Before heading back, I mean?”_

_“What’ll happen to her?”_

_“I know a family who’ve been wanting a girl for a long time. I think I can do it. I’ll bring her to camp when she’s old enough, and she’ll go to Hogwarts when she’s eleven.”_

_“I love you, Apollo.”_

_“Love you too, Cissa.”_

_“Hello and here is your dose of the morning news, straight from Olympus. A special message to Narcissa Malfoy: Lily and James Potter are dead, but Voldemort could not manage to kill a little boy, Harry Potter, and was instead defeated himself. And, um, Lucius wants you home, right now! As for the weather, well that is up to Zeus, Poseidon, and--”_

_“Hermes! can’t I have a night with my love and our daughter alone? For goodness sakes, how did you even find us?”_

_“Voldemort is dead? It can’t be!” Cried Narcissa._

_“So this means something to you, does it?” Hermes asked._

_“I have to go. Her name is Clarissa Jeanne, Apollo. I hope this mortal, Muggle family takes good care of her. I love you. I’ll send you an owl later explaining everything, but right now I need to go to Lucius.” And she apparated on the spot, leaving Apollo wondering what could be so wrong she had to leave him._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the first chapter of Daughters of Darkness. Let me know what you think. 


	2. The First Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara goes to school and makes friends, but none of them are really as they seem.

**Clara POV**

 

My five older brothers were all out, leaving Hannah and me to do what we wanted. And in our case, that meant have a water fight.

“I’ll get you for that, Chocolate EClara!” Hannah yelled as I snuck up on her with a water balloon.

“Not if I can help it, BanHannah Split!” I yelled back, firing my water gun at her.

* * *

 

Those were the good old days, before BanHannah Split and I were separated. She was two years younger than me, and our academic levels forced us to be in different schools. I was dyslexic and suffered from a pretty severe case of ADHD, while she was the top of her year in everything. She went to an advanced placement boarding school, while I went to the same public school that all my brothers had gone to. I had a few friends, but Jade Garrett was the only one who I really liked. She was really pretty, and her best class was biology. She was always dying her hair green. She loved plants and we had a special tree that we always hung out at on the playground. My other friends, well, they were less cool. Melissa Coffman and Allison Green were kind of mean, but Jade insisted that we had to keep them around for “security reasons.” I wasn’t really sure what that meant. And then there was Renee Sanderson. She was gorgeous, and all the boys were after her.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Many of the boys chased after me, too. Renee was gorgeous, and I was hot. We were only ten, and we had both had boyfriends already. But Renee annoyed me to no end. She was always comparing herself to me, and making me break up with my boyfriends. She had a certain charismatic air about her, and she had strong power in her voice.

Today, Melissa and Allison were being really mean. I scored a goal in basketball when it happened. They were on the opposite team. Suddenly, they were growing bigger. Renee and I were still tiny, but Jade had somehow brought her tree into the room with her, and she had blended into it. Next thing I knew, Jade _was_ the tree. I yelled, startled, as it grew through the ceiling alongside the giant Melissa and Allison. “Mellie! Ali! You promised!” yelled Jade the tree. All the boys were cowering near one edge, and all the other girls were doing the same by the other edge. Renee and I looked at each other. 

“Renee! Use your persuasive power! Get Melissa and Allison to stop!”

“I can’t, Clara. I don’t know how!” 

“Just try it, Rennie! Please!”

Renee must’ve known I was serious, because only Jade had used her nickname before. I groaned, wishing could do something. 

“Stop, giants! You’re our friends, right? Mellie? Ali?”

“How dare you use our nicknames? How _dare_ you try to _charmspeak_ us?” Melissa called. 

“Clarissa, Renee, run! They’re Laestrygonian Giants, and they want to drag you to the Underworld!” Jade called.

“Our master….our master will bring you down, you silly little tree nymph! And as for you, demigods, you will die in Tartarus!” Allison yelled.

“The reinforcements are coming, Melissa, Allison. Be prepared to go down! And as for you two, run! You’ll meet Clarisse in the front, and she’ll help you understand everything! Go! Now! Renee, you know what to do!”

Renee gulped. “Clara, come on. We have to go!” My eyes glazed over, and I realized that Renee was in full control of me. She could make me do anything she wanted right now, and I would have to obey. 

We rounded the corner and came upon a tall girl in armor. She raised her sword at us. “Demigods.”

“Wh-who are you?” I stuttered.

“I must ask you that first. Full names?”

“ _I’m_ Renee Andromeda Sanderson, and this loser is Clarissa Jeanne Bradley.” Renee said before I could stop her. I elbowed her in the ribs. This girl could be one of _them_!

“I am Clarisse La Rue. I’m here to take you to a safe place for people like you. You two are both demigods, meaning that you each have a godly parent.”

“But I live with both my parents!” Renee and I exclaimed at the same time.

“Hurry, idiots, there’s no time! You two and the other new camper will need to answer to Luke and me until you are claimed, and curse the gods if your parent is Ares!”

I just wished these people would stop talking in code. I looked at Renee, who shook her head. “Well come on then, young demigods, what are you waiting for?” Clarisse yelled, taking us by surprise. I realized that like Renee, Clarisse was not someone to cross. She grabbed my right arm and Renee’s left, and pulled us toward the door. There was a black car outside. “Well, what are you waiting for, get in!” Clarisse snarled, half shoving me into the car. There were two young men in the front. “Hi, my name’s Luke Castellan and I will be your driver today. This is my brother Chris Rodriguez, and he will get you anything you want. Make yourself at home, we will arrive at Camp Half-Blood shortly.”

Renee peered at Luke and Chris. “But you look nothing alike? How can you be brothers?”

“We are both sons of Hermes, but with different mothers,” Chris said. He had a hard, stony face. Luke was blonde and looked a little like me, or like the brother I’d never had, except that he was tall and lean while I was average height, and a little overweight.

“Hermes….he’s the god of mischief, right? And Ares is the god of...war?”

“Very good, Clara,” Luke said. “My _father_ is indeed the god of mischief, and he’s also the messenger god. And he is the god of the lost children, which is why you two and the new boy will be staying in our cabin until you are claimed. Speaking of which, do either of you have any idea of who your godly parent is? Or if it’s your mother or father?”

“We told you earlier, we live with both our parents. Now take us back, pranksters!” Renee shouted. As had happened with me many times before, Luke immediately did what she said. Clarisse yelled at him. 

“No, you idiot, I thought I taught you how to resist it! She’s charmspeaking you, just like Drew Tanaka. Don’t listen!”

Chris and Luke turned to face her. “Don’t take them back, idiots!”

“Are you sure, Clarisse?”

“Keep driving! Oh well, we’re here anyway. Get out, and make sure you aren’t followed!”

“Who would follow us?” I asked

“The same ones who tried to attack you. The monsters!”

I blushed. Of course that was why we were here, how could I be so stupid? I looked around. We were surrounded by forest. “Now, run between those trees,” Chris instructed. But even as we disappeared behind the trees, we heard a loud roar from behind us. There was a monster, but it wasn’t after us. It was following a minivan. 

“Chris, take them inside the boundary. We need to help the new kid, and Grover!” Clarisse yelled. 

And then the monster threw something at Renee and me, and we blacked out.


	3. The Claiming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renee wakes up at Camp Half Blood, discombobulated after the monster attack. She, Clara Bradley, and Percy Jackson find out who their godly parents are on the same night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. Just so you know, main POV’s will be Clara, Renee, and maybe a few others. All rights to JK Rowling and Rick Riordan, except for Clara and Renee and their Muggle/Mortal families and any other characters I make up.

******Renee POV:**

I woke up in a strange room. The first thing I noticed was a short, unfamiliar boy standing above me. He was maybe a few years younger than me. My first thought was, _man, he’s ugly._ Then I realized he looked like a male version of Clara. 

“Chiron, she’s awake!” The boy called. “Hey. I’m Will Solace. Renee, right?”

“Who are you? How did I get here? How do you know my name? And where’s Jade and Clara?”

“I’m Will Solace, a son of Apollo. You, Clara, and Percy Jackson were all attacked by the Minotaur. Clara and Percy came to three days after, but you’ve been out for six. We were worried about you, Renee. And as for Jade, she is really a tree nymph named Juniper. She lives in the forest with her tree. Usually we send Satyrs, but you and Clara were a special case.”

“So who’s _my_ godly parent? And who’s this ‘Percy Jackson’ guy anyway?”

“Renee, we don’t know who your godly parent is. Hopefully, you’ll be claimed soon. And as for Percy, we think he’s someone special. Maybe even a child of the Big Three.”

“Big three?”

“Girl, you’ve got a lot to learn.”

A horse-like creature had come up behind Will. “Will, would you show Clarissa around camp, please.”

“Who are you? And I’m Renee, not Clarissa. And her name’s Clara, or at least that’s what she goes by. And who are you?”

“I am Chiron, trainer of heroes. And sorry, Renee. I’m forgetting who’s who with the…crisis.”

“Crisis?”

“Zeus’s lightning bolt has been stolen. He blames Poseidon. We think…well, Renee, it’s complicated. But it probably doesn’t concern you.”

I kind of sneered. “Probably?”  
“Never you mind, Renee. Will, can you please show her around?”

“And that’s the forest, where you’ll play capture the flag tonight, after dinner. But yeah, food. Go sit with Luke, at the Hermes table. That’s where all the newbies sit. Oh, and try to avoid Clarisse. You won’t like her cabin’s Newbie Ritual. Pray to the gods you aren’t a child of Ares.”

I took a seat over by Clara, who was talking to Luke and someone I only assumed could be Percy.

“So, is capture the flag dangerous?” Clara was asking Luke.

“Yeah, very.” I shuddered at the nonchalant way he said that, as if he couldn’t care less if I were to live or die here. 

“Um, Luke, how do I, um, order?” I asked, seeing that the others already had their food.

“Just say what you want, and it’ll appear. Percy, show her.”

“Blue pancakes!” Percy exclaimed, and blue pancakes appeared on his plate.

“Why blue? That’s just weird.”

“My mom….she was killed by the Minotaur, you know.”

I gasped. Even though I didn’t really like Percy, I felt sorry for him when he said that.

“Pizza and a--a banana split,” Clara said through tears. I knew how she called her sister Hannah Banhannah Split. “Rennie, I might never see her again.”

I’d never liked Clara much, but I put my arm around her just the same. 

“Okay, the red team will be Annabeth, Percy, Ethan, Juniper, Grover, Percy, Silena, Luke, Clara, and Renee. The blue team will be Clarisse, Chris, Charles, Drew, Malcolm, Mitchell, and Lacey. Team captains are Annabeth and Clarisse. Go!” Chiron said. Clara smiled at me. I couldn’t believe that Chiron had the nerve to put me with my childhood friends. I returned Clara’s smile with a glare, then glared at Jade, or _Juniper_ , as I was supposed to call her now. The blonde girl, Annabeth, was giving directions. I had no idea what she was saying, but she told Percy to be the defense. Percy groaned. Obviously he didn’t much like this Annabeth person. I agreed with him there. 

I ran into the forest with Annabeth, Juniper, and Clara. We were ten minutes in and nowhere near finding the flag, when suddenly, a gigantic dog came out of nowhere. It ran right past me. Clara grabbed my arm. “Percy! The dog is heading straight toward him!”

I reluctantly followed her. I had no idea how to fight a giant dog, that was preposterous. 

“Clarissa, what do I do?”

“Don’t call me that, for one thing. And I don’t know, try your charmspeak. We can’t let that _thing_ get Percy.”

By the time we got to Percy, the giant dog was attacking him and had nearly dragged him into the lake. Annabeth, Grover, Juniper, and that girl Silena were running quickly behind us. Luke, Chris, Clarisse, and some other kids were running toward us from the other way.

“Somebody help Percy!” Annabeth cried. “He’ll drown!”

But a strange thing was happening. Percy was climbing out of the water as she spoke, and there was a glowing trident over him. Chiron came to him from behind me. Everyone was staring at Percy, who had no wounds from the hellhound.

“Hail Perseus Jackson!” Chiron called. “The son of Poseidon.”

There was a lot of murmuring, but before I could catch any of it, I realized everyone had now turned their attention to me. A minute later, I realized why. There was a flock of doves circling me, and my ugly orange camp t-shirt was transforming into a beautiful yellow dress. 

“And hail Renee Sanderson, daughter of Aphrodite!”

Silena ran up to me. “Welcome to cabin ten, sister. I think we’ll be great friends. I’m Silena, the head counselor.”

I scowled. “Aphrodite? What? I thought…never mind. Show me my cabin.”

“Not just yet. I need to stay, I’m head counselor.” Silena was so calm. I couldn’t believe she was my sister. “Lacey, can you take her?”

Lacey nodded, and I turned to follow her, but not before a large sunbeam appeared near Clara. People were murmuring, and I caught the words, “Three in one night? What can this mean?”

“Wow, what a night, Camp Half-Blood. Three claims, from three different gods, in a single night! I think the three new demigods had better follow me to the Big House, and your head counselors too. Annabeth can fill in for Percy, since he is his own head counselor. Annabeth, I think it’s time.”

Annabeth nodded solemnly, and I followed her to find out what surprises would ruin my life next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was chapter three. What do you think? I am so excited for Hogwarts, but first: quests!
> 
> Renee is definitely a witch as well, and like Clara she has a *dark* past and family currently unbeknownst to her. Well, please review, I can’t wait to hear what people think!


	4. Two Quests for Three Demigods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood learn about their quest, and then Renee, Clara, and someone else get assigned a quest.
> 
> Narcissa Malfoy checks in on her daughter via Apollo.

**Clara POV**

“Percy, you and Annabeth should go first, we know more about your quest.”

“Woah woah woah. A quest?”

Renee sneered at the girl who came behind her. “Clarisse, what are you doing here?”

Juniper was there, too, and the satyr, Grover. She smiled. “I’ve got them, Chiron. Rennie, Clarisse and Clara, you’re going to be… well, you’ll see.” 

Renee groaned, and I giggled nervously. Clarisse glared at me.

I hadn’t noticed Percy and Chiron disappear into a room, but I saw them come out, Percy looking very nervous. 

“Annabeth, will you take Percy and Grover somewhere to discuss this?” 

Annabeth nodded solemnly, and started walking away.

“Now, Clarissa, Renee, Clarisse, come with me. We haven’t been able to make heads or tails of your prophecy yet, but since you two showed up, we do know that you are the demigods of the prophecy.” Chiron said. 

“And I need them for a quest _because_ …? Chiron, how many times have I told you, I can handle a quest by myself!”

“Clarisse, will you _ever_ shut up and listen to your elders?” Juniper asked. “I’ve had to put up with this attitude for years, guys, I wish you luck.”

I shivered a little, worried. Juniper’s tone of voice was definitely not reassuring. We walked back into a room, the same room that Percy Jackson had come out of moments before, looking so nervous. I gulped.

There was a lifeless, life-size doll and a giant leopard head. And suddenly the doll wasn’t lifeless anymore.

* * *

 

_“Daughter of love, of war, of song_

_Never able to get along_

_Will they ever learn_

_When they take that turn_

_All one and the same_

_Give the gods a good name._

 

_But beware the traitor_

_You’ll wish you knew_

_Will you heed this advice_

_Don’t discover him in you._

 

_Go west, then south_

_To find the object_

_That will restore honor_

_To the gods once more.”_

* * *

 

This was definitely bad, but I didn’t understand anything. Renee spoke up before I could get a word out, though. 

“Chiron, all due respect, but _what_ ? How are we supposed to make heads or tails of this? I was knocked out for six days, woke up to find that I’m a freakin’ _demigod_ , claimed three hours later, and now _this_ ! You _cannot_ expect _me_ to go peacefully with _them_ on a crazy _death mission_ where I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!”

Juniper stepped up behind her. “Rennie, please. Please, we’re trying to figure this out.”

“And _you_ , Juniper Garrett! You lied to me. We could have been killed by Melissa and Allison. You could’ve just told us _something_ ! Or maybe just taken us here, explained it all, without having to deal with Melissa and Allison at all. _Do not_ use my nickname, Juniper.”

“Renee, please. She’s still the same person we’ve known forever. So am I. So are you. The three of us, we can be closer than before.”

“You’re doing my job, Clara. I’m usually the one to talk you into things with my, um, what’s it? Charmspeak, apparently.” but Renee was smiling as she said this, and I was happy to see the glimpse of the friend she was at her best. 

“Losers. Anyway, Chiron, so I’m the leader of this quest. What do we do?”

Chiron frowned. “Clarisse, I’m not sure if this quest has a leader. You three are all going to have to work together. Annabeth and I have pieced together that you’ll probably want to try Mexico. You leave tomorrow, along with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. You’ll have to split up almost immediately after you leave camp though, six demigods are too many.”

“Five demigods and a Satyr, you mean,” Juniper piped up.

“Yes. You leave in the morning, so I suggest you get a good night’s sleep.”

I hadn’t realized how tired I was. We met Will and Silena outside, and the second we saw them, we knew they had heard the prophecy beforehand. Silena was crying, and Lee had his lips in a hard frown. Silena put her arm around Renee, and Lee gave me an awkward hug. We walked toward our cabins together. Clarisse huffed behind us, and Juniper was between Renee and me. We reached Cabin Five first, which was a good thing, I couldn’t stand to be near Clarisse any longer. I really just wanted to be with my friends who I had known forever. Juniper put her arm around me and her other around Renee. Then we got to cabin seven, which would apparently be my new home here. It was much nicer, and Will told me it looked like solid gold when the sun caught it just right, but now it was dark.

“We have a special bed just for you. I told the others you were coming, some of them might be waiting for you, but you’ll meet most of them in the morning. And yes, feel free to call us your brothers and sisters.” I smiled, then looked back at Renee and Juniper. I ran to hug them, my best friends in the world. 

I ran inside and collapsed on my bed. It was much softer than the one in the Hermes cabin, and I smiled, grateful to Lee for taking me in. 

* * *

 

**Narcissa POV:**

I picked up the phone down the street in the Muggle town of Bradbury. She had to be at the demigod camp by now, I thought. Why hadn’t he called me? Did he still remember me?

Draco was at Hogwarts til the summer term finished out, and Lucius was away on “business,” whatever that meant. I tried not to get too involved with his dark dealings. But Clarissa would be going to Hogwarts in the fall, and I just _had_ to know how my baby girl was doing. Not that she could ever know who she really was, though. I sighed and dialed the number he had given me, oh so many years ago. I couldn’t believe I had never once called him. Well, actually, I could. With a son to take care of, and a secret to hide from my husband, it drove Clarissa and Apollo from my mind most days. Two rings, and I was so nervous, I was ready to put the phone down. The third ring, and I was considering running. In the middle of the fourth ring, someone picked up.

“Hello, Empire State Building. How may I help you?”

“Um….” Narcissa felt funny saying it. “Can you transfer me to Apollo on the, er, 600th floor.”

“There is no 600th floor.”

Apollo had told me what to do, of course. “My name is Narcissa, I’m a demigod parent. Apollo is my….my secret love.”

“Right. Of course. I’ll check if he’s in his office.” 

I heard a beep, and then someone said, “Cissa! I’ll be right with you!” I heard yelling on the other side, but it finally subsided and Apollo said into the phone, “why didn’t you ever call?”

“I’ve been busy. My wizard son, and keeping you a secret from my husband, thinking about Clarissa Jeanne. Is she at the camp, Apollo?”

“She is, but….Cissa, she got a quest. And I believe there is another witch-demigod in her presence, goes by the name of Renee Sanderson. Neither of them know their true heritage. They were both adopted. I don’t know Sanderson’s real, wizard father, but her mother is Aphrodite. Clara’s last name is Bradley, and the Bradleys are really good people. I know nothing about the Sandersons, though.”

“A quest, Apollo? Will she even make it to Hogwarts?” 

“I really, really hope so. I don’t think it’s as dangerous a quest as some. Who knows, you may even cross paths. I need to go, Artemis is mad at me again,” he said suddenly. The phone hung up with a click, and I was left feeling even worse than before. 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s chapter four. I admit that this will lean a little more to the Hogwarts side of things after Clara and Renee start. Also, just in case you were wondering, Clara does NOT fall in love with her brother, that would make me a sick writer with no sense of humor. This also isn’t a Clara/Harry story, because I’m a very solid Hinny shipper. Also, as you can see, Clara and Renee are a year younger than Draco, Harry, and the gang. There is a reason for this, trust me. 


	5. Becoming Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara, Renee, and Clarisse receive some new information about their prophecy, and they change their plans and figure out their destination.

 

**Renee POV**

I continued walking with Juniper and Silena. “Renee, I know this is all a shock, but if it makes it any better, call me Jade. I’ve been Jade for four years, to you. I want you to know that, like Clara said, we’re all still the same people. And I really had thought that Allison and Melissa would be better.”

“It’s okay, Jade. I just need some time to….for all this to sink in, I guess. And Silena, thank you so much for being a great sister.”

“I will warn you, some of the Aphrodite kids are a little mean. They should all be asleep by now, but you’d be best to avoid Drew Tanaka and her friends. Some Aphrodite girls only care about clothes and standards. I’ll wake you up tomorrow, and hopefully they won’t be up yet. Good luck, Renee.”

“Thanks, Silena,” I said as we walked up to cabin ten. I opened the door and collapsed on my bed without even undressing. 

* * *

 

The next morning, Silena woke me up before sunlight. “Who in Hades are you?!?!” I yelled, and then I remembered everything.”

“Shush, please. You don’t want to wake Drew and her gang up! They don’t like you now and they won’t like you later, especially because Mom is here.”

“ _Aphrodite?”_ I yelped.

“Yeah. And Apollo. They have news. I suspect Clarisse and Ares will come as well.”

“What time is it, Silena?”

“Near five.”

“It’s too early,” I moaned, covering my face with my pillow.

“I’ll call Mom to help you get dressed. She’ll pick out something that matches your sleek, brown hair.”

“My hair’s not….” I looked in the mirror. Wow, my hair had stayed perfect all night! “Thanks Mom,” I whispered. As soon as I said it, a sea green tank top appeared on my shoulders, and I had on stylish shorts as well. Practical and beautiful! I grinned. 

“Okay, I’m a little more awake. I guess I’ll meet Mom and Apollo now.”

* * *

 

When I finally stepped out, Mom, Apollo, Ares, Chiron, Clarisse, Clara, and Lee were waiting for me. Clarisse was glaring at Mom, and I could see why. Her tank top matched mine, except that it was red. Her hair was done up in a braid, and I couldn’t help but giggle. Clara, on the other hand, was wearing a golden tank top with her hair done up in a messy bun. She seemed to love it.

“So, Dad, now that Sleeping Beauty is finally awake, what’s up?” I was surprised at how chill Clara was being around Apollo. 

“I need to tell you something about the prophecy. Every direction is reversed. Zeus did not wish me to tell you this, but I hope to aid my daughter and her partners.” Apollo said grimly.

Ares and Aphrodite nodded. 

“It may not be wise for Clarissa and Renee to go down the path it says to take. There are secrets hidden where you three are going, I’m afraid.”

“What?!” I exclaimed. “What secrets, Sir? Enough with the code already.”

Mom put her arm around me. “Renee, you will be greatly punished if Zeus finds out you know anything more than this.” She met my eyes. “Good luck, Renee.”

Silena hugged me. “Juniper’s going to ride upstate with you, just to see you off. She’s with Percy’s team now, saying goodbye. You have about half an hour to get to work on that prophecy.”

I walked out with Clara and Silena, Clarisse huffing along behind us. I knew we were going to the Big House to look at our prophecy more clearly.

* * *

 

_“Daughter of love, of war, of song_

_Never able to get along_

_Will they ever learn_

_When they take that turn_

_All one and the same_

_Give the gods a good name._

 

_But beware the traitor_

_You’ll wish you knew_

_Will you heed this advice_

_Don’t discover him in you._

 

_Go west, then south_

_To find the object_

_That will restore honor_

_To the gods once more.”_

 

* * *

 

Silena read the prophecy to us. “I don’t get it, though,” said Clara. “Isn’t bringing honor to the gods and all that a _good_ thing? And ‘beware the traitor,’ isn’t that something to follow?” 

I pondered that for a minute, but Clarisse said, “Isn’t it obvious, you birdbrains? He meant compass directions!”

“Hey!” I yelled. “ _Don’t_ call me a birdbrain. But….I think you have a point, Clarisse. I have a gut feeling that you’re absolutely right. So where does this lead us? Definitely not Mexico. A caribbean island, maybe?”

“Nope, peabrain, any Caribbean islands would still be south!”

“Clarisse,” I said, adding Charmspeak and venom to my words. “Please stop with the nicknames. But you’re right of course. Hmm, maybe Greenland?”

“That doesn’t sound right to me,” Clara said, and I agreed. “Hold on, I’m getting something. Maybe….England?”

I nodded enthusiastically and even Clarisse gave a curt nod. “England it is, then,” Silena said. She acted happy but I knew she couldn’t be.

I knew our ride would be here any second. There _had_ to be some way of getting a ship, didn’t there? I had never wanted to use my persuasive voice for something this big, but I thought it might be the only way. I whispered the idea to Clara, who frowned. “Well, if you must,” she said at last. I worried about how it would go.

Argus was nice enough to drive us to a far-off port in Maine, in a town called Storybrooke **(1)**. Now, all I had to worry about was stealing the boat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how did you like the chapter? Do you think Renee will really be able to steal the boat? Do you think the girls would ever become friends? And are you excited for Hogwarts? 
> 
> I have decided not to make Renee a Hunter. Also, Renee’s father is Regulus Black, and she spent a couple years in the Lotus Casino as a baby so that she wouldn’t age. I’m planning to work this in somehow. But anyway this means that Renee and Clara are second cousins, although they don’t know it yet.
> 
> (1)-Storybrooke is a reference to Once Upon A Time for all my Oncers out there--I couldn’t resist!


	6. The Quest Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara talks to her mortal adoptive family on the phone. Renee realizes Clara is going through a lot and helps her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights to JK Rowling and Rick Riordan!

**Clara POV:**

 

Well, we were here at the farthest port going east that we could think of: Storybrooke, Maine. I decided it would be best not to talk to some of the people here, they seemed like weirdos. Or maybe that was Renee’s muttering about strangers. 

We quickly went to the docks, but there were barely any boats there. Soon, though, a man came up. Renee quickly put her voice into action. 

“May we please borrow your boat?” Thick charmspeak

“How did you even cross the barrier? And no you may not. I know what you are.”

“We are just three lost girls on our way to England to see our mother, who is ailing.”

“Lost girls. I knew it. Now, get out of my sight!” 

The man’s eyes were glowing. Wait, THE MAN’S EYES WERE GLOWING!!! 

“Let us on the boat or I’ll fight you.”

“Leave now, Daughter of Ares, or you will never have that option again.”

I screamed. “How do you know who we are?”

“Clarissa Jeanne Bradley, I know more about you than you ever will yourself. I know that you pretended Hannah was your sister, but she and her family left you behind. Renee Andromeda Sanderson, I know that the Sandersons were never real. You’ve always pretended to have a family, but you never did. You can join me, or you can walk away. It is your choice.”

Somehow, we all knew what came next. We looked at each other with a look that meant, “RUN.” 

I was flying. Was I going at the speed of light? Suddenly I felt myself lifted by a sunbeam. Clarisse and Renee were flung on behind me. “Haha, thanks Dad!” I yelled. Renee was grinning and even Clarisse gave a small smile. We were free. But soon we would need to find a boat. We couldn’t just rely on a sunbeam!

And then suddenly we were falling, crashing through the trees. I hoped we would land on some kind of sunlit beach, but instead we were in a dirty city. 

I heard groans and realized I had landed on top of Renee. She glared at me, and I quickly stumbled off of her. But Clarisse was already on her feet, and what she saw made her grin. I looked around. We were on a port, at a harbor. And there were boats galore. 

“Ha!” Renee said. “At this rate, we don’t even need to steal a boat! We can just hop one!”

“Not a bad idea, Renee!”

“Thanks.” She slipped her hand into mine. I remembered how it used to be, on days that Melissa and Allison didn’t come to school, when it had been just the three of us. I wished Juniper were with us now.

“Team, let’s move!” Clarisse yelled. Renee and I exchanged a glance.  _ Did Clarisse just call us “team?” _

I put my arm around Renee and smiled. Even in the mix of all this chaos, I still had a part of my old life. I had the best dad in the world. Speaking of dads….

“Clarisse, do you have a cellphone? I should contact the Bradleys and let them know what happened.” Did I just call them, “the Bradleys?” I guess I had accepted this. And hey, I had never really looked like the Bradleys. I wondered if they had known all along about me. 

“Didn’t I tell you? We never carry phones, we could be traced. Stupid little newbie.”

“Well, then, is there a pay phone anywhere? The Bradleys are probably worried sick about her. They’re a family, something I’ve only found with Clara and Jade recently! I would be worried sick about her if we got separated!”

“You would, Renee?” Strange, I had always got the impression she didn’t like me. 

“Of course. You’ve always been so nice to me, even when I didn’t repay that.”

I hugged Renee. “Alright, alright, girls, stop the love fest. Clarissa, I’ll find you a pay phone.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

The phone picked up on the third ring. “Hi, this is the Bradley residence, may I ask who’s calling?”

Darn, it was Tony, the most annoying of my five brothers. “Tony, it’s me, Clara. Is Mom home?”

I’m not surprised when he says, “There is no Clara here. Just me, I live alone. My name is Tony Stark and I live alone. Nobody can know my secret.”

“Shut up, Iron Man,” I hear from somewhere in the room, and I am relieved. “Clara is that you?” 

“Yeah, it’s me. Ross?”

“Clara, we’ve been so worried about you! Why didn’t you call?”

“Other stuff happened. Can I talk to Mom or Dad?”

“Oh, of course. But….do you need help? Are you hurt? Do you want us to come get you?”

“No, let me just talk to Mom.”

“Okay. It’s good to hear your voice, Clara.”

I heard a click as the phone was switched to Mom. “Clara! Oh honey, we’ve been so worried! What happened?” 

“Mom….I know.”

“Know….oh. Clara, what do you want me to say?”

“Mom, I guess I always knew. I’m blonde with blue eyes, and I’ve never needed glasses. Everyone in our family except Tony wears glasses, and you’re all brunettes. And, well, you know.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah. So, I’m on a quest, something demigods get, you know. Glory and danger and all of that. I’ll be home soon, I promise.”

“Only eleven….you’re so young, Clara.”

“Mom, before I leave, who was my birth mother?”

“Apollo never said, dear, only that you would have extraordinary powers. I hope she’s someone who would make you proud.”

“Do my brothers know?” I thought of Tony and Steven and Ross and Dallas and David. Tony was eight, the youngest. David was twenty, the oldest. They had been my only family until Apollo, and they all cared so much. Even though Tony was an annoying jerk, I loved him. Ross and Dallas, the 15 year old twins, were my favorites, although Ross was the best brother. Steven was just….Steven, not really anything to me. 

“Dave knows. We told him recently because we knew that your time might come soon. Do you want me to tell the others?”

“No, I will when I get back.”

“Okay. Call soon, love.”

“I will, I’ll try.”

“Okay.”

I hung up, glad that my mother didn’t know the danger I may really have been in. I wasn’t even sure who I was anymore.

Renee and Clarisse, who had been waiting for me a little ways off, came up to me. “We should hurry. It’s been a long day and we want to get to England without meeting more monsters. Are you ready?” Renee asked me.

“The main question is, are you? And is your charmspeak?”

“Yep.”

Clarisse laughed. “Come on, you two.”

* * *

 

The first boat we saw was the  _ Andromeda Jean _ . Renee and I looked at each other. Yeah, okay, so my middle name was Jeanne, not Jean, but it was still a sign. “That one!” We exclaimed at the same time, exchanging a meaningful glance. In hindsight, we probably should have used something else, but Renee and I actually thought that some good could come out of it. We probably should have used something like the  _ Cloud Star _ . But did we know?


	7. On the Andromeda Jean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three girls finally locate a ship, but immediately after boarding, Renee gets a weird feeling about the boat. Clara keeps Clarisse and Renee from killing each other, but Renee's suspicions worsen after she has her first demigod dream.

 

**Renee POV**

Getting on the ship was the easy part. 

I went up to the captain. “Hello, good sir. We are three girls on a trip to England to see our ailing mother. I’m Rain, that’s Claire, and that’s Laura. We lost our tickets, but we will pay you back when we get the money.” I then pretended to cry. Clara and Clarisse copied me. 

“Little girls, come here. You can get the ride for free, okay? If your mother is so bad that you must take a ship to England to go see her, then of course you will have free passage.”

I gave a small smile. “Thank you.” I whispered. I couldn’t let the kind captain know what I was really feeling, but inside, I was grinning like a maniac. Clara and Clarisse echoed their thanks, and we boarded the  _ Andromeda Jean _ .

The man called after us, “We have extra rooms on the deck. Feel free to take cabin 5710.”

“Oh, thank you very much!” I grinned. “Thank you for your kindness.”

Clara slipped her arm around me. “Mom’s gonna be okay,” she whispered. I giggled a little, then pretended to be sad.

When we got to cabin 5710, we stared. It looked as if it was a shrine to the gods, especially our parents. The door was painted with harps, cows, helmets, vultures, doves, and shells. The beds were the same. I glanced at the others and gulped. 

It was a large ship, with a big deck, a game room, and a lounge. I shivered and wondered if Clara was feeling the way I was, utterly unsafe. I collapsed on one of the beds, the left one. Clara threw her bag onto the middle one, which I was grateful for because it meant I didn’t need to be near Clarisse. 

I fell asleep almost immediately. What a day! 

_ “I cannot believe they fell for it,” a voice growled. They actually took the  _ Andromeda Jean _. Good work, my faithful servant. Good job.”  _

_ “It was easy, Master. I led them both ways. To Storybrooke and back out. To here. To us, Master.” _

_ “Such a shame they didn’t realize. That would have been great fun, almost as much fun as watching Percy talk to a poodle.” _

_ “Yes, Master. And who was the captain?” _

_ “Why, Oceanus, of course. We’ll sail them right through the Bermuda Triangle!” _

_ “Yes, sir. Shame, though, I do believe we could have used Clarissa and Renee. They’re so….easy.” _

_ “Oh, Scylla and Charybdis won’t kill them. And Oceanus will make sure they do the right procedure for the Sirens.” _

_ “I like how you think…. _ ahead of time _ , Master.” _

What was it Silena had said about demigod dreams? That they told you something? Did they predict the future? I rolled over on the bed and tried not to think about it. 

Wait a second! I  _ had _ to think about it. And we needed to get off this ship. I threw a pillow at Clara, but I threw too hard and it hit Clarisse. Crap!

“Renee, what was that for?”

“Well,  _ sorry _ . I had a dream, Clarisse. We need to abort ship!”

“What’s all the yelling? Clarisse, please don’t!”

I noticed then that Clarisse was about to throw something at me. “Renee,” Clara continued, “tell us what happened.”

I remembered that that was one thing I had always loved about Clara. She could always keep her head, even when the daughter of Aphrodite and the daughter of Ares were about to kill each other. Which was, on my count, always. 

“I dreamed….somebody said that it had all been a setup for us to get on this ship! And think about it! The  _ Andromeda Jean _ ! The cabin decorations! Even the cabin number, our CHB cabins combined. I can’t believe we missed all the clues! And….they were so willing to let us on. Like, I almost didn’t have to use Charmspeak! Gods, we’ve been so  _ stupid _ ! Why didn’t I see it?”

“Wren, you’re not an Athena. It’s not surprising that none of us saw it. Well, you’re right. We need to get out.”

“Wren?” I looked at Clara. “I thought it was Rennie!”

“Rennie sounds too….ten years old. Do you even know what day it is?”

“Oh my gods, it’s May 2nd, isn’t it? I’m eleven!” I hugged Clara, then remembered what I was there for. “But grab your bags, there’s no time to waste!”

“Not even for a cupcake for the birthday girl?”

“Who….what! Oh, hi.” I exclaimed. It was the captain. I grinned at him.

“We were just taking Rain here….to her birthday surprise! At the arcade!” Clarisse said aggressively--almost protectively. I was impressed. 

“Well, get out there, then.”

Once the captain was out of earshot, I groaned. “Clarisse,  _ that _ was helpful.”

“Quick thinking. If that blonde brat Annabeth had been here, she would’ve come up with something better.”

“Ugh, whatever. I guess we need to go to the arcade now.” I linked arms with Clara and Clarisse pretended to gag. 

The arcade was amazing, and if I hadn’t been fearing for my life, I probably would have loved it. It was called the  _ Lotus Casino Cruise Branch _ , and it was like a whole new ship. I decided that while we were here, we should check out the games.

And for an eleven-year-old, they were paradise. Just when we started to realize we had no money on us, the security guards came up to us. “Do you three have your all-access unlimited passes?”

“No,” I said, worried that they would kick us out.

“Well then, here! Take some!”

Clara was given a golden-yellow pass. I had a pink and green one, and Clarisse’s was red and black. “The color of your blood when I beat you at inflatable fencing,” she added.

Clara shook her head, but I used a little Charmspeak to convince her. “Clarissa Jeanne, please. It’ll be fun.”

“Two on one, not that you losers will have a chance.” 

We fenced. And fenced. And fenced some more, losing track of the time. And then I had an idea. I whispered something to Clara, and she nodded. She raised her sword and I ran behind Clarisse, trying to make it look like Clara would be the one to knock her sword from her hand. In reality, I was sneaking behind Clarisse, just in time to knock the sword from her hand at the right moment. 

So basically, ClaRenee, 1; Clarisse, 0. I grinned, ready to lay on the charmspeak when Clarisse accused us of cheating. “No way, Clarisse, we won, fair and square!” 

“Cheaters!”

“There’s  _ always _ power in numbers, Clarisse.”

“But--but….” the older girl was flabbergasted.

“Let’s go get something to eat. I need energy to take you guys on at the bouncy house extreme challenge,” Clara piped up, pointing at an inflatable attraction that looked like everything combined. We walked over to one of the restaurants. 

“Can I get a burger?” I asked. 

“With onions and tomatoes and eggplant?”

Wow, this lady knew my exact preference. Except….

“And with lightly melted cheddar cheese, correct?”

I gulped, remembering my dream. “No. No onions, no tomatoes, no eggplant, and no cheese. With lettuce and peppers and mushrooms, no cheese.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very.”

“Okay then, coming right up. And for you two lovely ladies?”

“I’ll take pizza.”

“All meat, extra pepperoni and anchovies, Laura?”

“How do you know my name?” Clarisse grumbled. I was sure I was going to get yelled at about that name choice soon. 

“Laura Nathaniels, yes? All meats, extra pepperoni and anchovies?”

“No, just cheese. Maybe with eggplant.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Well, of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t, ma’am.”

Clara held back her laughter. 

“And you, my dear Claire, what would you like?”

“I’ll have a milkshake. Raspberry and chocolate.”

“But, my dear Claire Nathaniels, you like blueberry with vanilla.”

“Nope. Raspberry and chocolate.”

“Okay, then, may I see your all-access unlimited passes?”

We handed them over. I wasn’t looking forward to eating my hamburger without the lightly melted cheddar, but hey, that was better than giving into the waitress’s predictions.

“Ugh,  _ why _ did I say eggplant? I  _ hate _ eggplant!”

“Just wipe it off. I’ll split my burger so you can have some of the meat.”

“Thanks,  _ Rain _ , you’re so sweet. You can have my eggplant, too.” We exchanged a smile, the first we’d had in….ever.

Clarisse made sure to leave just enough cheese touching the eggplant so that I could feel like I had that, too. “I know it’s mozzarella, not cheddar, but I hope it’ll do.” I smiled gratefully. Maybe we really  _ could _ be friends. 

After we finished eating, we did the inflatable thing, went down waterslides, played arcade games, and fenced until we were tired out. Even then, we felt like we had to keep playing. It was very late, definitely, but we couldn’t know exactly what time because there were no  _ clocks _ , a fact I hadn’t even thought about. There were also no windows. 

After a while, I realized that I was actually tired. Like, really tired. “Clara, Clarisse, shouldn’t we go back to our cabin?” 

“My name’s Laura. And hers is Claire,” Clarisse said as a security guard passed by. “And yes, I’m so tired.”

But we were about to find that being tired was the  _ least _ of our worries. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I bet you can guess what happened next. After all, it was the Lotus Casino. 
> 
> Names: Clara is Claire and Renee is Rain, obviously. Clarisse is Laura because of LaRue, her last name. Nathaniels is their last name because it is, there is no rhyme or reason for it.


	8. The First Fighting Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara, Clarisse, and Renee escape the Andromeda Jean. Renee has another dream, and they meet their first monster.

**Clara POV**

 

I slept well after the fun day at the Lotus. But of course, that didn't last.

I woke up to--surprise--Renee and Clarisse arguing again. 

“It's your fault, you  _ had _ to suggest the arcade!” 

“Well, if you hadn't been so freaking  _ loud  _ about your birthday, it never would have happened in the first place!”

“Well you should've known better, you've been doing this longer!”

I groaned, not trusting myself to go back to sleep without first mediating between them. 

“Okay, what is it this time?”

“Oh, Clara, you're finally up, thank the gods!” Renee yelled. “Now we can get out of here!” 

“What? Why?”

Clarisse spoke up. “Clara, listen. It's not June 10th. It’s not even June. It's July 20th, Clara. And we’re not even halfway to England.”

Renee grumbled and nodded. “I think we're in the Bermuda triangle, otherwise known as the Sea of Monsters. We've been here for more than a month.”

I was shocked. This was all so much information. 

“Can you ask your dad to give us a lift, Clara?”

“No, the gods hate to help, I’d’ve thought you two figured that out, at least.”

“I have a better idea. We call one of Percy’s half-siblings.”

“Oh, great idea! Especially since he doesn't have any.”

“Oh, right. Hmm….maybe you could--”

I could tell Renee was about to say something insulting, so I cut her off. “Maybe, we could stop arguing and actually get out of here! You know?”

“You’re turning into a mix of us, Clara,” Renee said in awe. I blushed and realized I  _ was _ . I had become both hot-headed and convincing. Maybe, just maybe, this quest could work out after all.

Just then, thunder rumbled overhead and I got an idea. “Clarisse, are there any children of Zeus?”

“I’d rather not talk about her. And even if Thalia  _ wasn’t _ a pine tree, I wouldn’t be trusting Zeus right now. Hey, did you two ever get weapons?”

Renee and I shook our heads. “Oh, so  _ that’s _ why Chiron had me bring these.  _ Now _ it makes sense. Clara, yours is a golden bow. Why is everything gold or yellow with you anyway? And Renee, you’ve got, well, a long sword. I think it’s imperial silver. I have my faithful electric spear.”

“There are no arrows.”

“I think it replenishes itself whenever there is need. Anyway, now you are prepared.”

“Wow. Weapons. Are you sure you trust me with this, Clarisse?”

“Shut up, Renee. I’m still keeping them locked up while we sleep. Actually, no, I’m having Clara keep them, she actually likes both of us.”

Well, that was new. I still didn’t really know whether I actually  _ liked _ Clarisse, and you could never tell with Renee. But I agreed that keeping the weapons with me while sleeping was probably best. I was far less likely to want to kill anyone than Clarisse or Renee. 

Renee, who’d been fairly quiet for the last little while, suddenly spoke up. “You know, I think I just might have a legitimate plan. Hold on, guys, and get ready for the ride of your life!”

* * *

 

**Renee POV**

For once, I wished I was Clarisse. She had the much easier job of finding and releasing the lifeboats. Meanwhile, Clara and I had to get everyone riled up so we could distract Oceanus (I finally remembered the captain’s true identity from my dream). That would mean going back in the dreaded Lotus Casino, as well as into any other dangers that could be lurking around the ship. I decided that for that, we’d use a string similar to the one used in King Minos’s labyrinth. We would tie it to each other so we didn’t get separated, and use it to spread chaos. 

And it was chaos. I would look people in the eye and tell them that their best friends or whoever they were with was trying to kill them. It worked because of my Charmspeak. Meanwhile, Clara ran around with her arrow saying, “I’ll shoot! I will!” and scaring people, even though she would never actually do it because she was  _ Clara _ !

So that was fun. And now the captain had come running as everyone was attacking each other. Clara and I were able to slip out easily and find Clarisse. She had a small lifeboat, and we had to pretend we knew how to row so she wouldn’t freak out. I wished we could fly, it would have been so much faster. But Clarisse said a few words and we were off. She looked at us. “I hope you don’t mind I combined our powers for this. It means we’ll feel weak for a while, but it’s totally worth it. We’ll be in England in about half an hour. You two should get some sleep, we’ll need to be on our toes soon. The monsters haven’t actually tried to attack us yet, but once they realize we got away, we need to worry. Combining the powers throws off the scent as well. So sleep, and I’ll wake you up when we get to England.”

“But our powers aren’t that strong to begin with.” I argued

“Woah, you almost made me believe that,” said Clarisse sarcastically.

“You’re right, Clarisse.” Clara said, smiling. 

I wondered why they were making fun of me. Then I realized they weren’t. I had charmspeak, Clara had the speed of light, and Clarisse had….military power? Well whatever. I joined them in laughing. Soon, Clara had fallen asleep on my shoulder and I was nodding off too.

* * *

 

_ “Well, they escaped me once, they won’t do it again! I will make sure of that.” _

_ “Yes, master.” _

Why did that voice sound so familiar to me, this time? Oh, I hated dreams so much now.

_ I will send a giant to England. That’ll stop them. Hmm, maybe Periboia, she’ll slow them enough until I can get there myself. I’ll deal with them before they even get to  _ Hogwarts.  _ I will make sure they do not get to  _ Hogwarts _. Deal with Percy and the others, will you?” _

_ “Yes master.” _

* * *

 

Ugh, dreams. Why weren’t Clarisse or Clara getting these? And what was  _ Hogwarts _ ? Well, the “master” was sending a giant after us, someone named Periboia. And who was the other voice? Ugh, I knew I’d heard it before. 

Clarisse put her arm on my shoulder. “Hey, you’re already awake. Can you get Clara up? I need charmspeak for her. She won’t get up, and we’ve run into some, um,  _ large _ trouble.

I cursed under my breath. “Periboia?” I whispered.

“How did you know?” 

“Dream,” I mumbled.

Clarisse raised her eyebrows but said nothing. 

“Clara, it’s time to get up,” I said sweetly. “It’s a beautiful day.” She moaned. “Clara, look at the sunshine.”

“Oh fine, I’m up. Wha--oh,” she said as there was a loud crash. 

“We’re in England. And so is she. The magic has worn off, I dozed off, and we ran into Periboia. So, expect war.”

“Are you okay?” 

“The plan is that you’ll charmspeak her. Then Clara and I will fight her. You’ll summon a god with your charmspeak. Then it gets fun.”

Well, that wasn’t  _ my _ definition of fun. “Why do we need a god?”

“You are so naive, Renee  _ Sanderson _ . You need gods and demigods together to kill a giant. Idiot.”

But I had lost her at Sanderson. Clara stepped up behind me, ready to fight Clarisse if needed. “Clara, please,” I said with Charmspeak. “Just let me. Please.” She nodded but stayed close. 

“Clarisse, that was uncalled for. Why?”

“Because if you lied about that, who are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Guys!” I realized the crashing grew louder. “Guys!”

“I am Periboia, princess of the giants. You can die fighting or die without, it is up to you.”

“Or, you can die,” said an unfamiliar voice. It almost sounded like an older version of Clara’s. There was a blonde woman with her hair dyed black at the tips. Next to her was Apollo. 

She shot something from a stick, Apollo shot a sunbeam, and we went into action. Periboia was down within minutes. Later, Clarisse and Clara would say that it was all due to my charmspeak, but I would say it was all due to Clarisse’s superior war skills or Clara’s good humor. 

But what really happened was, we could work together. Later we would receive news that, on that same day, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover had brought the lighting bolt back to Zeus. Meanwhile, we had fought together, meaning that we brought honor to the gods. Both teams had completed the quests.

But we didn’t know all this until later. Because the woman who had helped us had special news for us.

“Clara,” Apollo said. “Meet your mother, Narcissa Malfoy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, they escaped the ship and won again, making their way to England. Clara finally met her mother, and the three demigods actually worked together. Renee won’t find out her father’s identity until much later, but she will get some memories. Off to Hogwarts within the next two chapters. Try to guess their houses in the reviews and I hope you liked this chapter.


	9. New Friends, New Enemies, and Two Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara has a conversation with Narcissa, who helped her and her friends and Apollo defeat the giant. On their return to camp, Clara sees something suspicious and saves a life.

**Clara POV**

 

“Clara, meet your mother, Narcissa Malfoy,” Apollo said. 

I was shocked. So I finally knew.  _ This _ was her, then. I had to say I thought I took after my dad a lot more, at least in looks. But I ran to her anyway. This was my  _ mother _ , something I’d always wanted. 

Narcissa embraced me. “I’ve missed you, dear Clarissa Jeanne. I do hope the Bradleys took good care of you. And you must be her… _ friends _ ,” she says to Clarisse and Renee. I couldn’t tell the reason drop in her voice, but it almost looked as if she recognized Renee. I stepped away from my mother, and closer to my best friend.

“If this was a perfect day, Clara, we’d go out to lunch or something. But my husband will wonder, and I have to be with my son, even if he doesn’t like that. But I am so glad I finally got to meet you, Clara. I have no doubt we’ll see each other again, and I can only hope that it would be more pleasant next time.” I saw Narcissa shudder at the word “pleasant,” like she knew the life of a demigod would never be pleasant. “I promise I will see you again one day. I love you, Clarissa Jeanne.”

I smiled and Narcissa hugged me again. Then, she turned on her heel and disappeared, which made me wonder whether there was more to her than just a woman that my father had loved.

I turned to Apollo. “Dad, one day you’ll get in trouble with Zeus for helping your kids so much.”

I don’t actually remember how we got back home. I just know that the ride was smooth. Well, I guess you get one freebie in life. I don’t know. But we’ve been back for three days now.

I spend all my time now with Jade and Renee, of course, but also with Grover, Percy, Annabeth, Silena, Lee, and sometimes Clarisse. Despite the fact that Clarisse and I are kind of friends now, she and Renee still dislike each other, and don’t even ask me about her with Percy or Annabeth. I sighed, knowing they would never really get along. It drove me nuts to have my friends fighting. 

Renee told me she saw Percy and Annabeth as a couple. She said that, as the daughter of the love goddess, she had to be right, but I didn’t know if I agreed. Surely she wouldn’t try to ship  _ me _ with anyone, would she? I hoped not. I wasn’t up for that yet. I’m only eleven, after all. I think sometimes Renee seems to forget that. 

I’ve been enjoying the rest of the summer, knowing I’ll need to go back to school soon. It’s not like I don’t want to see the Bradleys, but I just feel distanced from them these days. Renee will be staying here for the year, unless I can convince my adoptive parents to let her live with us. I already promised her that I would try, but with six children, we already have too many mouths to feed. I wish I had the magical plates that we have here at camp. 

I saw Luke leading Percy into the forest. Percy and I had a shorter schedule than many of our friends, who were still doing training this afternoon. For some reason, our days off never seemed to match up. Renee and I hardly even saw each other that much, and we couldn’t even sit together at meals. 

I hadn’t paid much thought to Luke lately. He’s been very aloof. I can’t figure it out; he must be happy at least that Annabeth is back. And that they got the lightning bolt. But for some reason, he avoids us. 

The way he was leading Percy seemed almost suspicious to me, so I waited until I was sure they wouldn’t notice me, and I started to follow them. By the time I got there, it looked as if Luke and Percy were finishing up a heavy discussion. 

There are only a few things I’m really good at, but one of them is definitely reading people. Even from my distance, I could tell that Percy was apprehensive. I couldn’t make out any words, though, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. 

Luke said something, and Percy shuddered. I saw something behind him and suddenly knew why he kept talking. It looked like one of those poisonous scorpions I had seen pictures of during training. I realized then that Luke didn’t want Percy coming out of this alive. 

“Percy!” I yelled without thinking. “On your right!”

Percy spun around so fast it was like lightning had hit him. But unfortunately, Luke had also heard me.

“You’ll pay for that one, Clarissa Jeanne Bradley.” He drew out my name. “I was going to kill him now, but I guess I’ll just have to run with you on the way,” he sneered. The scorpion was gaining on Percy, who was doing the best he could to ignore it. I thought this probably was a bad idea.

Suddenly, Percy had summoned a wave before my eyes. He directed it at Luke, but the scorpion attacked, and Luke fled. I was disappointed to see that he looked rather happy. “Kronos will make you pay, Clara, you mark my words!

And then he was gone.

“Clara,” Percy whimpered.

I gasped upon seeing him. He was in pain, and there was a huge gash on his arm.

“Clara, water. Water…Clara.”

Now, I had to lift Percy up. I wished Annabeth were here, then I could carry him easily to the lake. But I just had to make do with my own strength. I groaned; he was no pillow. I had half a mind just to dump him in the water and run, but I knew that if Dad didn’t punish me for that, Jade and Renee would. Not to mention Annabeth. 

I waded into the lake with Percy, knowing that he would recover soon enough. I left him there and sat on the bank. Soon, I heard running. Annabeth and Renee came up on me, looking worried. Annabeth kept running to Percy, but Renee stopped at me. 

“Clara, thank the gods!” she flung her arms around me. “We heard screams.”

Screams? “Renee, nobody was screaming. But, we were hurt.”

“I heard screams,” she said again, and I realized what must have happened.

Annabeth had hauled Percy out of the water by then, his gash from the scorpion only a small scar. She hugged me as well. 

“I’m so glad you two are safe. What happened? We heard screams and came running.”

“Annabeth, nobody screamed,” Percy said, but I knew otherwise by now.

“It was Luke. He attacked Percy with the scorpion, then screamed to cause a diversion so he could get away. But….he’s not the main enemy. He’s working for Kronos.”

Annabeth gasped. “I need to tell Chiron, Seaweed Brain!” She grabbed Percy and ran, Renee and me at her heels. 

By the time we reached the Big House, Annabeth and Percy had already gone in. We waited in the main room, listening and watching Annabeth’s dramatic retelling. Eventually, Percy stepped in. “Annabeth, it really wasn’t that bad.” 

I laughed, and Annabeth suddenly realized I was there. “Oh, right, it wasn’t. Clara saw the whole thing, Chiron, she’ll tell you better.”

“Hey, I was actually  _ there _ !” Percy groaned and began to tell Chiron everything. After he finished, Chiron nodded. “We need to talk about this, but first, I need to talk to Clara and Renee in private. Is this okay?”

Annabeth nodded, and I wondered what could be so important. 

Once we were in a back room, Chiron said, “I expected this with you, Clara, of course, but it will probably come as kind of a shock to both of you.”

He handed us each a thick green envelope. I ripped mine open.

_ Dear Miss Bradley, _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  _

_ The term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Minerva Mcgonagall _

_ Minerva Mcgonagall _

_ Deputy Headmistress _

 

Well, that was different. I wasn’t really looking forward to traveling back to England, and  doubted Renee was, either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like it? Sorry it was a bit of a filler chapter, but in the next chapter they will go to Diagon Alley and meet some important characters for their first year (Chamber of Secrets canon). The chapter after that will be the train and the arrival, and then the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the sorting. Please comment your ideas on which houses you think Clara and Renee will get placed into (although I already know haha). 


	10. The Good, the Bad, and the Vain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and Renee go to Diagon Alley, where they meet some friends and start to plan for Hogwarts.

**Renee POV**

Chiron was the only one who seemed to know what was going on. As for me, I was trying to think. What was I supposed to do? Just accept this fate, go back to England, and go to… _Hogwarts_? What kind of name is that, anyway?

“Clara, Renee, you will need to go to Diagon Alley to get your stuff. You can have one other demigod go with you if you wish. You’ll need to buy your books, wand, robes, and pets if you want them. Now hurry, I need to owl this letter back to Hogwarts before the day is done. I’ll get Malcolm to lend me an Athena owl, you go to Diagon Alley, alright?”

Clara shrugged and I shook my head. “I think, if we want to take another demigod, it should be Annabeth. She’s keep us on track and be a real help in the bookstore. And she’s strong,” Clara said, and I agreed.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You will need Floo Powder to get there, seeing as you’re too young to apparate.” Chiron said, handing me a green powder. “You may also take it to King’s Cross when the time is right.”

I shook my head again. I realized that Clarisse would be upset if we didn’t include her. I wanted Annabeth more, but since we’d actually been on a quest, I thought we maybe should include her. Gods, I wished we could take two other demigods instead of just one. Hmm, maybe if I could convince Chiron to let us take one _each_ ….

“What are you thinking, Wren?” Clara’s voice startled me.

“Oh, um just that maybe we should bring Clarisse too, and I’m trying to figure out a way for that to happen.”

Clara nodded. “It’s a good idea. After all, she does know England as well as we do.”

I nodded. “That’s it! She knows England, and Annabeth has logic! It’s perfect!”

I went to ask Chiron and he agreed that we could take both. “But don’t give Annabeth _any_ money to spend in the bookstore,” he warned. I laughed. Maybe we could just buy our wands and Annabeth could buy our books. 

I really did want to see Diagon Alley. So I went to the Athena cabin and got Annabeth while Clara helped Clarisse get up. Wow, demigods _and_ witches, what a day. 

* * *

 

**Clara POV**

Diagon Alley. I clasped Renee’s hand as we shot out from the fire. Clarisse had come first and Annabeth appeared just after us. I looked around. 

“First stop, Gringotts Bank,” said Annabeth. Chiron had given us $3000 to transfer into wizarding currency. I had no idea how he came up with the money, but he said it should be good for a year or two, if we used it wisely. 

The creatures at the bank were strange. We looked at Annabeth to see if she knew what they were, but she just shrugged.

We handed the money to one of the… _creatures_ , and I said, “Hi, we’d like to create an account.”

“Whose name would you like that to be under?” The _thing_ had a creaky voice, not unlike an unoiled gate.

I looked at my friends before saying confidently, “Andromeda Jeanne, please.”

Clarisse gave me a look like I was crazy, but it felt right, even after our experience on the ship. 

“Please hold while I fashion your key. How many keys, by the way?”

“Two please.”

The creature went back and fashioned two keys out of gold. Annabeth gasped. “I know what you are! You’re a goblin!”

The goblin bowed. “Griphook, at your service.” Griphook. What an interesting name. “Right this way,” he added.

We descended down a few flights of stairs, and I gulped, realizing we were underground. I hated the underground, I needed to be where I could see the sun and know my father was watching me. In fact, the only one of us who looked okay was Clarisse. Annabeth was shuddering and mumbling about spiders, while Renee had drawn back into a corner as a simple cart came toward us. I looked at them.

“You two can wait out here if you want.”

They gave me grateful smiles. I stepped up by Clarisse, and she took my hand, which would have been a nice gesture if she wasn’t so strong. 

“Renee and Annabeth are going to wait out here.”

Griphook nodded, and Clarisse and I clambered after him into the cart. As soon as we got moving, I was glad Renee hadn’t gone. I had always known she was squeamish around roller coasters, and this was ten times worse than the ones at Six Flags. Even Clarisse was looking a little green. 

Griphook took us to our vault, where he told us the different kinds of coins. Clarisse and I each took twenty galleons, ten sickles, and five knuts apiece. We still had plenty left over for another time. Then we left, going at that heart-wrenching speed back to Renee and Annabeth, where Clarisse gave Renee her coins. 

We stepped out onto the street, where there was a crowd gathering around the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts. 

“Can we go in now, _please_?” Annabeth asked, half dragging Renee to the store. Clarisse and I had no choice but to follow her. As we approached the front door, I saw why there had been such a crowd. “Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing books at 2:00 pm today. Come in and you could win a free copy of ‘Magical Me!’ Renee read. “Looks like he got on the bad side of one of my mom’s makeovers.”

Annabeth and I giggled, and Clarisse rolled her eyes. 

We hurried in as the man was finishing up his first speech. Renee looked at me and gagged as Lockhart beamed with a boy who had round glasses, jet-black hair, and a lightning scar. The boy looked about as thrilled as we felt.

A red-head boy behind us whispered, “Oh gods, isn’t he a piece of work?” and his brothers chuckled, but were loudly shushed by his mother.

The boy we had seen with Lockhart was staggering back to the redheaded family under the weight of what looked to be a full collection of Lockhart’s books. He tipped the books into a young girl’s cauldron, and she turned as red as her hair.

“Oooh, to be young and in love,” Renee said. I elbowed her. 

“Well, you’re famous now, Potter.” A blonde boy stepped out from behind a bookshelf.

“Stop it, he never asked for any of this!” exclaimed the small redhead girl. 

“Oh look, Potter’s got himself a girlfriend.” If the girl had been red before, she was a tomato now.

“Shut up, Malfoy,” said Potter coolly. Malfoy? That couldn’t be my half brother, could it?

“Now now, Draco, play nice,” said a man, probably Draco’s father. If he was Narcissa’s husband, I couldn’t fathom how she would pick him over Apollo. I wanted to do something, but I doubted they had even noticed me yet. “Ah, Arthur. The disgrace of wizards, the _blood traitor_.”

“Lucius. Lovely,” the man called Arthur raised his wand. I thought he was probably the father of the readhead family who the boy “Potter” had been with. 

Suddenly, a giant of a man was standing in Lucius’s place. “Break it up there, break it up,” he said, shoving the blonde man aside. The diversion gave him time to slip something in the girl’s cauldron, but I might’ve been the only one who noticed that. 

“Arthur,” the giant man continued, “You know better than that.”

“I know, Hagrid, I know,” said the Arthur. 

The girl’s mother took her arm. “Come on, Ginny, let’s go get your wand.”

I decided it would be a good time to cut out as well. I looked at my friends, who nodded. We quickly bought our books and followed the redhead women to Ollivander’s Wand Shop. “Wow,” exclaimed Annabeth. “I wish I was a witch.”

The wand shop was a quiet, dark room with boxes on every side. We heard explosions and a hurried voice saying, “No, no, definitely not! Now how about _this_ one.”

“Ah yes, this seems to be the one, Ginerva Weasley. Redwood, nine inches, rigid, with a dragon heartstring core.”

I saw the girl come out with her new wand. She waved at us. “Are you first years, too?” 

We nodded. “I’m Clara, and my friend is Renee. We’re…I guess half-bloods.” More truth to that than we would let on, of course. “These are our friends, Annabeth and Clarisse. They’re just along for the ride.”

“I’m Ginny Weasley. I’m the seventh and last in my family to go to Hogwarts. Anyway, see you on the train!” Ginny said brightly.

We waved as Ginny tried out her new wand. 

“Ah, new customers. Come in,” the shopkeeper said. “First years? Hogwarts?”

Renee and I nodded. “Only these two need wands, we’re just along for the ride,” Annabeth said.

“Clara, you go first,” Renee prompted. I grabbed her hand and nodded.

* * *

 

My wand was actually fairly easy. “Welcome, Miss Bradley.” He saw my confusion at his knowing my name. “Ah yes, I know everybody. The wand chooses the wizard, Clarissa, and I must know who the wand has the possibility of choosing. I am one of the only wizards outside of Hogwarts who gets to see _the book_.”

I couldn’t follow Ollivander, so I just nodded. He handed me a box. I took out the wand and caused an explosion. Wand after wand, explosion after explosion, with only Ollivander’s occasional muttering of “no, not that one, definitely not,” until I was presented with a silver box.

I took out the wand and gave it a wave. The lights flickered and the model bird on Ollivander’s desk chirped. “I think we have found the wand, Clarissa Bradley. Ah yes, a personal favorite. Yellow palmwood with a unicorn core, bendy, six inches. Perfect.”

I paid for the wand, hoping that this really was the wand that chose me. Now, I had to watch Renee go through the same process.

* * *

 

**Renee POV**

“Ah, yes, Renee Sanderson. I’ve been expecting you.”

Really? How was I “expected,” then? This man had never even met me. He continued giving me some overly rehearsed speech on how “the wand chooses the wizard,” and mentioned a “book” and “Hogwarts.” I had to say I wasn’t really paying attention; if it was important, Clara would tell me later. It took a moment to realize the man was intensely staring at me.

“What’s that, sir?”

“I said, Miss Sanderson, are you ready to begin?”

“Yes, sir.”

I waited for him to take my measurements, and then he handed me a box. Box after box, really. I was having worse luck than Clara. 

Finally, he said, Renee, let’s try you on _this_ one, shall we?” I gave it a wave and it finally worked. I was overjoyed.

“Curious, very curious.”

“What’s curious?”

“Well, Miss Sanderson, your wand is of unicorn tail hair as well. But this unicorn, he only gave three hairs. The other two brother wands went to brothers. Very curious that you of all people would be chosen by the third. Their names were Regulus and Sirius Black. Their family wasn’t much, but they both turned out bad to the core, although they seemed like fine students early on. It was their choices that shaped them. As will yours, Renee Sanderson.”

I shuddered. That was… _ominous_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there’s your next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. So, Clara and Renee have met the Weasleys, Harry, Draco, Lockhart, and Hagrid. I know I didn’t exactly stick to canon in the bookstore scene, but I wanted it to mostly be what Clara saw.
> 
> Just so you know, the chapter title: The Good is Harry and the Weasleys, the Bad is the Malfoys, and the Vain is Lockhart. 


	11. On the Hogwarts Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and Renee share a compartment with Ginny Weasley on the train, and they learn about Hogwarts houses and wizard candy.

**Clara POV**

 

I had bought a pygmy owl I called Dusk because of her blue/gray color that reminded me of the sunset in summer. Renee had picked out a white cat she called Princess. 

I was so excited to board the train. I looked at my ticket, then double checked it. 

“Chiron, this is all wrong. It says platform 9 ¾ , there’s no such thing.”

“It’s there, trust me.”

“Can Clarisse and Annabeth come with us again?”

“Sorry, Renee. It’s just the two of you this time.” At this, Renee stepped closer to me with a small gulp. 

“But how are we supposed to find the platform?”

“There will be plenty of other wizards to help you.”

I groaned. Chiron was great, but he could sometimes be stubborn. We got up to say one final farewell to Lee, Silena, Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Clarisse, and Jade (or Juniper, whatever), who were waiting outside the big house. Annabeth hugged me fiercely, while Clarisse pretended not to care. 

“Take care of yourself, Miss Sunbeam,” Lee said. Miss Sunbeam? Since when? Couldn’t all Apollo children ride on sunbeams? I needed to remember to ask him about that later. 

Then Renee clasped my hand and Chiron took us to the fire to use Floo powder. “Keep this batch, so if you ever need it, you’ll have it.” He handed the jar to me, and I put it in my trunk. Then we stepped into the fire saying, “King’s Cross Station!” and disappeared into the flames. I started walking almost immediately, but Renee held me back. 

“What would they think if they saw us? Wait until the coast is clear.”

I nodded. We waited a few seconds and then ran to platform nine when the coast was clear. As predicted, there was no visible platform 9 ¾ .

We sat and worried as it got closer to 11:00, until we heard, “Mum, I can’t believe we’re late again, I’ll be late to the prefect’s compartment!”

I looked up to see the red-haired family and the “Potter” boy we had seen at Diagon Alley. The father, Arthur, was talking. “Now, I’ll go first with Ginny, come on now,” and I decided to speak up.

“Erm, hello, we were trying to….”

“How to get on the platforms as well, huh? First years too, like Ginny?”

Renee and I nodded.

“Come with Ginny and me, and hurry!” Ginny smiled and took my hand. Renee grabbed mine, and they pulled us forward. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the crash, but it never came. The next thing I knew, we had stepped onto a platform where there was a bright red steam engine. Arthur kissed Ginny and ushered us on the train. 

“Come on, let’s go find a compartment.”

Renee and I smiled. This girl had already decided to be our friend, and we couldn’t really ask for more on only our first day. 

* * *

 

“So, do either of you know which house you want to be in? I’m hoping I’m a Gryffindor myself, but you never know. Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad either. Or Hufflepuff. But Slytherin? No!”

“Um, what?” Renee asked

“Houses, don’t you know? Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. All my family has been in Gryffindor for generations, although Fred and George have connections in all of the houses. They’re very popular. And I think Percy might be friends with a Ravenclaw.”

We shook our heads.

“Wow, you _do_ have a lot to learn! Okay, so Gryffindor promotes bravery and chivalry, Ravenclaw is for people who are very intelligent, and Hufflepuffs are the nice and unique ones.”

“And Slytherin?” Renee asked

“Most of them turn out evil.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you don’t want that.”

I rolled my eyes. Ares children had a reputation for that too, but look at Clarisse. She would be on our side in a fight, no question. The Slytherins were probably just misunderstood, like her.

“So, which do you think you’ll get?”

“Bet I’m a Slytherin,” Renee groaned.

“Renee, that won’t happen! I bet we’ll get Gryffindor together,” Ginny told her honestly.

“Sure, okay.” Renee didn’t sound convinced, though.

A woman knocked on the compartment door. “Anything off the trolley, dears?” 

I looked at the candy, expecting Milky Way bars or Cadbury chocolate. Instead, I saw things called, “Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans,” “Chocolate frogs,” and “Peppermint imps.”

We selected a large bag of the Bertie Botts Beans, a pile of chocolate frogs, and a few pumpkin pasties. The woman then turned to Ginny, who shook her head. She held up two soggy sandwiches. “I’m good.”

I realized then that there was something Ginny’s bubbly attitude hid. She was poor, probably didn’t have a dollar-I mean a galleon-to her name. Without thinking, I handed her a handful of Bertie Botts. She smiled at me. 

“No, Clara, it’s fine.”

“I insist,” said Renee, which of course worked due to her charmspeak. Ginny popped a green one in her mouth. “Yeuch, Spinach! I thought it would be sour apple!”

Renee tried one next. “My guess is…taffy. Nope. Hairball.” I made a face

“My turn. My guess is grape.” I popped it in my mouth. “Eww, no, turnip and onion.”

We went on like that for a while before realizing it was getting dark and deciding we should change into our robes.

The train came to a halt, and a girl and a boy met us at the place where we were supposed to wait for Hagrid. The girl looked worried, and the boy looked annoyed. “Ginny, have you seen Harry? Or Ron?”

“I would have thought they were with you.”

“But they’re not, just Neville. Oh, if those two got expelled….”

“Firs’ years! Over here!”

Ginny gave an excited squeal and grabbed my arm. We ran toward Hagrid, ready for Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The sorting! Please review!


	12. The Sorting and the First Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and Renee get sorted and make some friends in their respective houses. Renee's not as comfortable with the people in her house, though.

**Clara POV**

We were getting to Hogwarts via boat, while the older students were going via horseless carriage. We climbed on to a boat, followed by a girl with dirty-blond hair. The girl had on odd glasses and didn’t really seem to be paying attention.

“Hello, Luna,” Ginny said, explaining that the girl was her neighbor, although they didn’t really talk. 

“Hi.” Luna went back to reading a magazine sideways, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Yeh’ll get your first look a’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called from the front boat. There were oohs and aahs as we passed an enormous gray castle. “Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”

We clapped and cheered as we descended the boats and walked up the marble staircase to Hogwarts. We reached a stone room, and Hagrid said, “Wait here, everyone. I’ll go get professor Flitwick.”

Ginny gave a sigh of relief and whispered, “Good. I’m glad Snape’s not on first year duty this year. When Fred and George had him, he was the worst.”

I diminutive man who almost looked part goblin came out. “Hello, first years. I’m Professor Flitwick, charms professor and head of Ravenclaw house. Here at Hogwarts, your house will be like your home. The four houses are: Gryffindor, which honors bravery and chivalry; Slytherin, which honors cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness; Hufflepuff, which values hard work, kindness, and dedication; and my former house, Ravenclaw, which values intelligence and wit. 

“Your house can win or lose points based on your behaviors. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup, an award coveted by all the students of Hogwarts. So, let us begin.”

We clapped at the speech and then entered into the great hall, where the roof was the night sky.

“Wow, is that real?”

“I think it’s an enchantment, but I’m not sure,” Luna said. But everyone’s attention was on an old hat that had just burst into song.

* * *

 

_ Many, many years ago _

_ When I was new and clean _

_ Godric Gryffindor took me from his head _

_ And placed some brains in me. _

 

_ This was the way the founders four _

_ Would sort once they were long gone _

_ For what would become of their values _

_ When their days were done? _

 

_ Brave Gryffindor, the roaring lion _

_ Only wanted what was brave _

_ While Shrewd Slytherin, the snake _

_ Only took those a wizard bloodline gave _

 

_ Meanwhile, Witty Ravenclaw, the eagle _

_ Chose all those who were smart _

_ And Sweet Hufflepuff, the badger _

_ All the rest, she taught. _

 

_ Despite their views, the founders four _

_ Became the best of friends _

_ The rivalry between them _

_ Remained playful to no end. _

 

_ But Slytherin was different _

_ He broke off from the rest _

_ He decided that his views _

_ Were what marked the best. _

 

_ He caused a rift, _

_ Irreparable and strong _

_ And that is why the houses _

_ Can never get along. _

* * *

 

I clapped along with everyone else, and Flitwick began calling out names. 

“Aconna, Rebecca?”

“Hufflepuff!”

“Avery, Nolan?”

“Gryffindor!”

“Ballias, Sandra?” 

“Slytherin!”

“Bellis, Gill?”

“Slytherin!”

On and on it went, until, “Bradley, Clara?”

I stepped out in front of the hat, sat on the chair, and Flitwick placed it on my head. “Ah, yes, the secret Malfoy, I know all about you. Daughter of Apollo, gave the Weasley girl Bertie Botts Beans when you realized her story, brought peace between Clarisse and Renee, better be….HUFFLEPUFF!”

Well, I hadn’t known the hat talked to you and probed your thoughts. Renee gave me a thumbs up as I went to sit with Rebecca Aconna and the other Hufflepuffs.

* * *

 

**Renee POV**

Well, now that Clara had gone, I had nothing else to do but wait. I looked around. The different tables were decorated with their house’s animal and color. My name wouldn’t come for a while, so I just waited. Shortly after Clara was called, I watched a mousy boy called Colin Creevy become a Gryffindor. I’m not sure why he stood out, but he did. I watched and waited as more people became Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins. Luna Lovegood, the girl from the boat, became a Ravenclaw

“Ruddernot, Tomasz?”

“Slytherin!”

“Rybalzat, Kat?”

“Hufflepuff!”

“Saban, Chloe?”

“Ravenclaw!”

“Samson, Rachel?”

“Gryffindor!”

And then me. “Sanderson, Renee?”

“Ah yes, daughter of Aphrodite and charmspeak extraordinaire. A ready mind, and kindness, ah yes, there is kindness, but it’s hidden. You would not do well in Hufflepuff, though, I think quite the opposite. So what shall it be?”

“I don’t want to be evil,” I said in my head, knowing the hat would hear me.

“Now, Renee, who told you there was an evil house? Were they talking about Slytherin? Did you know, dear girl, that Merlin himself was a Slytherin? Slytherins show potential and determination, but are cunning and will achieve any means to their ways. I think you would make a good one.”

I thought about it, and the hat said, “Take your time, Miss Sanderson.”

“I’ll do it, then,” I thought with finality. “I’ll show Ginny that not all Slytherins are evil.”

“Ah, that’s the ticket. Prove yourself, Renee. SLYTHERIN!!!”

I saw Clara clapping for me. She didn’t even look disappointed that we didn’t get into the same house, or that I was in Slytherin. I hurried to sit with the new first years, Tomasz, Sandra, and Gill, who didn’t seem as bad as some of the older students.

When I got to the table, Sandra clapped me on the back and Tomasz smiled. I hoped I could be friends with these people, hoped that they wouldn’t turn out evil. I sat and watched the rest of the sorting. The last person was “Weasley, Ginny,” and I watched Ginny become a Gryffindor, clapping along with her house and Clara. 

A tall wizard with a long white beard stood up at the staff table. “Now, a few words before we begin. Nitwit! Oddiment! Bubbler! Tweak!”

I looked confused, but food was appearing on our table, and I was too hungry to think about the strange man.

Sandra saw my look and smiled. “That’s Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster.”

“He’s a little strange.”

“Well, yes, but my sisters say he’s brilliant. I’m a pureblood by the way, what about you?”

“Half.”

“I thought so, but don’t let it be too known here. You heard the hat, Slytherins value purebloods above all, and some of them go as far as to hate Muggle-borns and Muggles. My parents were true Gryffindors, and they never really messed anything up. They hated Slytherins with a passion. But, when Sophia became a Slytherin--she’s head girl now, of course--they kind of had to accept it. Stacy is a new prefect, couldn’t be prouder. My parents have high expectations for me as well. I do hope I can meet them. 

“The reason we got into Slytherin was because we were major pranksters at home, and we would do anything for a laugh. But don’t worry, we’re going to be roommates, so I won’t prank you.” 

I laughed. “Sandra, slow down,” I commanded with charmspeak. “So let me get this straight. Slytherins can sometimes be kind of rude to non-purebloods, but I can tell you’re not. Your parents were Gryffindors, but your two sisters, Stacy and Sophia, are here, and you’re following in their footsteps. Sophia is head girl and Stacy is a prefect, you’re going to be my roommate?”

“Yep. There are three other first year girls who will be with us, Morgana, Ariana, and Kaylee.”

“Really? I didn’t hear their names called.”

“It’s easy to zone out. And, well, I don’t think they’ll be like us. I’d say avoid them when you can. We can just stick together, along with Gill and Tomasz.” 

I nodded. “Are they purebloods as well?”

“Yes, I think so. But don’t worry, not all purebloods are like that. Your friend Ginny, she’s a pureblood, and there is no way she would ever act that way. Her brother Percy is a Gryffindor prefect, and he and Stacy have a pleasant relationship. Everyone loves the Weasleys. And us, of course.”

I nodded.

“Hey Sanderson, I saw you clapping for the Weasley girl, what’s wrong with you? You do that they’re blood traitors, right?” It was Draco, Clara’s half-brother. I groaned. “Why clap for a Gryffindor? You’re such a blood traitor!”

He and his friends had surrounded me. Most of the Slytherin girls were much larger than I was. A tall guy who looked like a sloth was laughing. “You don’t want detention on the first night, do you, Renee?” he sneered. 

“Warrington! You can’t give her detention on the first night! She didn’t even do anything!” An older girl was yelling. “And anyway, I’m head girl. I can override any decision you make, Warrington. And I will, too!”

Sandra hugged the older girl. “Sophia, where were you? This table’s so big!”

“I’m up at the other end. Congratulations on making it into Slytherin, and for letting Miss Sanderson know that not all Slytherins act that way. I’ll make sure Stacy is the prefect who leads you to the common room, not Warrington.”

Sandra smiled.

 “I’m Sophia, by the way, head girl. Pleasure to meet you.” Sophia looked just like Sandra, but with shorter, more wavy, blond hair. Looking around, I realized that I was one of the only Slytherin girls who was brunette, which wasn’t a pleasant thought. Some girls had jet-black hair, even darker than Potter’s. But no other Slytherin girls had my color. In a way that was good, I stood out from the rest. In fact, my hair had always been different from my friends. Of course, that could have something to do with my mom. I looked over at Clara to see if how she was faring.

* * *

 

**Clara POV**

I sat with Rebecca and Kat, two other first year girls. Rebecca was a Muggleborn, but she had older brothers, so she knew that she would be coming. Kat was a pureblood, but the oldest child in her family. Her parents had gone to Durmstrang, another wizarding school, but they wanted her to be at Hogwarts. The other school had a bad reputation, and produced many dark wizards. Kat was telling us about her summer in Brazil, but I wasn’t really listening. I was watching Renee.

My, um, brother had just come over and said something rude to her. Even though I knew she was being helped by a couple other girls, I just wanted to go over and comfort her. She looked up at me, finally. I saw tears forming in her eyes, and I excused myself from the Hufflepuff table. 

“Renee, are you okay?”

“Clara. You shouldn’t be here, not with….you know.” She looked at Draco.

“It’s fine, he doesn’t know.”

“Don’t even talk about it here, you’re so clueless.”

Renee was becoming her old self again, but I didn’t mind. “Come over tonight or if you ever need anything. Rebecca said there’s a safe space for the other houses if it’s ever needed; if Ravenclaws can’t figure out the riddle or if Gryffindors or Slytherins forget or are unaware of the new password. And….other stuff. Please, come tonight, and bring Sandra if you want. Just tickle the pear. They all know that Hufflepuffs are most likely to be friends with those from other houses. Just, don’t replace me with Sandra, okay?” I said the last part in a whisper.

“Not if you don’t replace me with Rebecca and Kat.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m inviting Ginny, too.”

“Oh, in that case, I won’t bring Sandra. I think we need to be together. Kat and Rebecca won’t be there, will they?”

“No, just the three of us. Ginny said she has something important to show us.”

“Okay, midnight?”

“Midnight sounds great. Just tickle the pear, Rebecca knows everything around here.”

“I bet Sandra does too. See you tonight.”

I went back to the Hufflepuff table as the man with the beard started a speech. “Welcome, or welcome back, to Hogwarts. I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster. It’s going to be a great year. Win lots of points for your house. Flying lessons for first years take place on October fourth, and Quidditch tryouts are up to your house captain. A reminder that nobody is allowed in the forest, and you may only enter Hogsmeade with a permission slip and if you are third year and over. But now, the night is young, and we will sing our school song! Everybody, pick a tune!”

He waved his wand and a ribbon of words appeared. I hoped that Renee and I would be on the same page for the song, which of course was “Good Day Sunshine,” by the Beatles. I looked at her, and she nodded.

* * *

 

_ “Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts _

_ Teach us something please _

_ Whether we be old and bald _

_ Or young with scabby knees _

 

_ Our heads could do with filling _

_ With some interesting stuff _

_ For now they’re bare and full of air, _

_ Dead flies and bits of fluff _

 

_ So teach us things worth knowing _

_ Bring back what we’ve forgot _

_ Just do your best, _

_ We’ll do the rest _

_ And learn until our brains all rot!” _

* * *

Well, that was…interesting. “Ah, the joys of music! Now, off to bed, you have a big day ahead of you!” Dumbledore said. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that was longer than most of them so far, but they get longer. Did you like Renee’s battle with the sorting hat? And the OC’s I introduced? Sandra will be the main other OC besides Clara and Renee for a while, but the others will factor in eventually. Did you like the ways I portrayed Slytherin and the idea of a safe space at Hufflepuff?
> 
> Also, I chose “Good Day Sunshine,” by the Beatles because I wanted an older song that would have been around in canon Hogwarts time. It was the first song that popped into my head, although I have no idea how the Hogwarts song would actually work out with that.
> 
> Anyway, enough about me. Please review! I love my readers!


	13. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renee gets a taste of her new roommates and immediately hates them. Clara shows her and Ginny the Hufflepuff common room, and Ginny shows the girls her own secret as well.

**Renee POV**

I stood behind Sandra as Stacy led us to the common rooms. I had to remember my way to the Great Hall, so I watched carefully. It still wasn’t easy with all the moving staircases and talking portraits. I decided to ask Sandra to go with me after all. 

Stacy led us to a portrait of a man holding a snake. My first thought was that it was Hermes with Martha and George, a picture I’d seen around camp many times. But a closer look made me realize that it was Merlin, who the hat had told me was a Slytherin.

“Password?” Merlin asked

Stacy turned to us. “Now remember this. You’ll be notified when there’s a change. But the current password is  _ ‘serpens domum _ .’”

I knew that meant “snake house” in Latin, but I wasn’t sure how. I knew Greek, not Latin. 

We entered the common room. Because we were in the dungeons, the lake gave the light a greenish tinge. “You can pull back that curtain and see the depths of the lake. In the summer term, they sometimes let you go swimming after exams.” There were green plush armchairs and decorations of snakes. “Girls’ dormitories are on the left, boys on the right. Now, get to bed, we have a big day tomorrow.” I would pretend, of course. I still had to meet Clara later. 

A girl cornered me. She looked like another first year, although she was much bigger than me. “You’re planning to sneak out. And we won’t let you.” Two other girls appeared behind her. Sandra was talking to Gill, so she didn’t see any of this.

“Oh, lay off her, it’s only her first day,” the tallest girl said, mimicking Sophia. “Well, no, I don’t think so.”

I groaned. Maybe I would just stay at Hufflepuff every night, that would be better than being tortured by these three. “You must be Morgana, Ariana, and Kaylee. How nice to meet you.” I was glad Chiron had let Clara and me bring our weapons, although now was not the time for threatening. Forgetting I didn’t know my way to the Hufflepuff common room, I ran out the portrait and away from Slytherin. I really didn’t want to go back. Classes that I didn’t have with Clara or Ginny were going to be torture, and it was only the first night. I planned to go back after breakfast when nobody would be there so I could get my stuff, but otherwise I would stay with Clara.

I got a little lost, but I didn’t pass anyone, and soon, I made it to a still life. I tickled the pear, as Clara had told me to do. 

“Hello, miss! Looking for a midnight snack?” The creature had a squeaky voice and was a little shorter than a goblin. Someone grabbed my arm and I turned to face Clara and Ginny. Clara gave me a hug, as if she hadn’t seen me in forever. 

Ginny had a tray loaded with appetizers. She carried it down the corridor to the Hufflepuff common room.

“Okay, don’t tell anyone this, but if you ever want to come, you have to tap out ‘Helga Hufflepuff,’ on this barrell, two from the bottom and middle of the second row. Like this.” Clara demonstrated.

“So, wait. We don’t need a password?” Giny and I asked at the same time, then laughed. “Well, I guell I know how to get into your room then,” I added.

“Not without the password, you don’t! Oh, Ron and the twins are going to resent me so much for being friends with you.”

Clara pushed the barrells aside and made her way into a cheerful, yellow and black room. I grinned; the room had a much better feeling about it than my own common room did.

Clara led us to an area that looked like a closet. “Trust me, it’s much bigger on the inside. I went in here with Kat and Rebecca earlier.” My face fell. Clara was outgrowing me, and I couldn’t do a thing about it.

“I thought this was just for guests?”

“No, but when we have guests, it repels anyone who doesn’t have the password. Yep, you can set up a password. I bet you can guess what ours is.”

“Are you serious, Clara? You can’t use ‘Andromeda Jeanne’ for everything!”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s not a very secure password, is it?” But I rolled my eyes and nodded all the same. Andromeda Jeanne had become more than just a boat we had the misfortune to be on. It had become our code word for both “danger,” and for our friendship. I smiled.

“You know I’d never ditch you for the other Hufflepuffs, right Renee? If you ever need something, you come first. Now, how’s the Slytherin common room?”

“It’s not much…well….” I couldn’t talk, and Clara sensed I was having trouble. 

“What is it, Wren?”

“I’m scared to be in Slytherin. The girls are mean, everyone’s a pureblood, and I’ve already been threatened.” At this, both Ginny and Clara raised their eyebrows. 

“Was it Kaylee? Ron knows her sister, Pansy. They’re bad news, don’t let them get to you,” Ginny consoled.

“What about your friend, Sandra?” Clara asked.

“She hasn’t stood up for me, not once.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded. “Clara, can I live here? Please?”

“I’m sorry, Renee. You were sorted into Slytherin. And what about Gill and Tomasz? They seem nice.”

“Clara, they’re boys! And I’m, well, you know.

“So? Show them that you’re more than that. Now, show us something, Ginny, and then we will tell you our secrets.”

I looked at her, affronted. “You never told me we were telling her anything,” I whispered, but Clara just shook her head. 

“You’ll never believe me”-- _ fat chance _ , I thought,  _ we go to a magical wizarding school and I’m the daughter of Aphrodite, so I’ll believe anything _ \--”but my mum gave me a magical diary. And it writes back!”

“That’s so cool!” Clara exclaimed, but I wasn’t so sure. 

“Are you sure that’s safe, Ginny? I mean, show us. Please.”

“Okay.” Ginny opened a little green book. “Ron will be in so much trouble when Mum finds out what he and Harry did. I hope they don’t blame me.” She spoke as she wrote, outlining the name “Harry” in little hearts. I laughed, and Clara smacked me. She must’ve noticed the hearts too. 

Thankfully, Ginny didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy looking at the diary, where the words had disappeared. They were being replaced by the diary’s own words. “Your parents won’t blame you, Ginny. Now, tell me more about that heartthrob, Harry Potter.”

Ginny turned beet red. “See? It writes back!”

Clara laughed, but I still wasn’t sure. “What did Harry and Ron do?” I asked, to diffuse the attention from her diary. 

“They flew my dad’s enchanted car here when they missed--or, were locked out from, depending on who you listen to--the train. They were spotted by Muggles, and Hermione’s not even talking to them.”

“Who’s Hermione?”

“That bushy-haired girl who asked me if I had seen them when we got off the train.”

I nodded, hoping I could meet Hermione, Harry, and Ron sometime soon. “So, they’re second-years?”

“Yep. They defeated You-Know-Who again and saved the Sorcerer’s Stone last year.”

“Who’s You-Know-Who?”

Ginny gasped. “Are you serious? You don’t know? You two are hopeless!”

Clara looked at her, confused. 

“Well, the wizard world is not safe. Once, there was a wizard who went…bad. As bad as they come. His name….” she shuddered. “His name was Voldemort. Wizards still do not speak it. When Harry Potter was a baby, You-Know-Who tried to kill him. When he wants to kill you, he will do it, and nothing will stop him. But when he attacked the Potters, when he tried to kill Harry… he supposedly died. However, Dumbledore doesn’t believe he’s really gone, and neither do we. He tried to come back again at the end of last year by means of the Sorcerer’s Stone, an object that grants immortality and endless wealth. I think Ron said it was through another’s body. Harry defeated him again, along with help from Ron and Hermione.”

“Wow, that sounds as dark as--” I elbowed Clara before she gave away anything. “As dark as night,” she finished, but Ginny looked at us oddly.

I looked at a large clock. “Guys, it’s nearly two, we should go back.”

“I’ll walk you guys back,” said Clara, but we shook our heads. “Just in case anyone is still up, I don’t want you to be seen with me right now. They’ll give you some trouble if they see us together. I want to wait it out a little bit. Maybe Kaylee and Morgana and Ariana will get better.”

Clara looked doubtful, but Ginny and I nodded. “We’ll be fine, Clara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s that. Renee and Clara will start classes in the next chapter. Do you think Renee will ever let them tell Ginny about being demigods? Some of those Slytherin girls seem so mean! Well, classes in the next chapter, can’t wait to see what that brings! 


	14. Herbology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and Renee, respectively, experience their first herbology class, where they find out that the kind head of Hufflepuff house knows about their other world herself.

**Clara POV**

 

Well, I was certainly glad Draco didn’t have any siblings in our year, or at all. Renee would keep me grounded enough so that if I ever  _ did _ let anything slip, she’d find a way to cover it up. But that wouldn’t even need to happen because Renee had my back.

In the morning, she made to sit at the Hufflepuff table, but I pushed her away. “Renee, you can’t do this. Please. Give Slytherin a chance. Try with Sandra. Please.”

Professor Sprout, our head of house, passed out our schedules. I was sad to see that the only class I had with Renee was transfiguration, and that wasn’t until tomorrow. However, I did have herbology with Ginny and she had potions with Renee later. Only a little sad about being apart from Renee, I paid full attention to Kat, Rebecca, and a few second-years; Justin, Ernie, and Hannah. 

I had met our male prefect last night. His name was Cedric, and I almost wondered if he was an Apollo himself, he was so hot. He was really nice, too, and all the older girls seemed to desire him. I even caught Kat’s eye on him a few times. Not that I cared about boys, of course. 

Ernie offered to show me to the greenhouses for herbology, my first class. I said I’d be fine, but I still managed to get completely lost. I ended up near the forest and next to a large hut. The giant man, Hagrid, stepped out. “Are you lost, Miss Bradley?”

I jumped. “You… you know my name?”

“What else is there to do when you’re the groundskeeper? You learn the names of those you can befriend, Clara. The greenhouses are back that way.”

“How did you know where I was headed?”

“Hardly anyone comes out here for classes unless it’s for herbology. Hurry along now, Sprout won’t be mad, it’s only the first day.”

I heard noises from Greenhouse 1 and hurried inside. Ginny beckoned me over to her table, which had different plants on it. 

“Ah, hello Clara, dear. We were wondering if you’d turn up. No matter, it’s the first day. You’re lucky you have me first, though. Some of your other teachers won’t be so….accepting, I guess. Anyway, who knows what devil’s snare is?”

A Gryffindor boy I didn’t know raised his hand. “Mister Avery?”

“Devil’s snare is a plant that traps the victim. Only if you don’t struggle, you’ll be free. It fears the light. Hermione defeated it last year in the way to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but if she hadn’t, Ron Weasley would be dead.” The boy, who was a tall kid with dreadlocks, looked over at Ginny and smiled.

Ginny shrugged at me, and I laughed. “Quiet, Miss Weasley and Miss Bradley!” Sprout yelled, which just caused us to crack up even more.

“Yes, Mister Avery is correct. And how did you know all that about Miss Granger?”

“I’ve heard stories from other Gryffindors.”

“Well, good job, Mister Avery. Take a point for Gryffindor!”

The bell rang then, and Ginny bragged to me about how  _ her _ house had won the first point from  _ my _ head of house. 

“Clarissa, can I talk to you a moment?” I looked at the herbology professor, hoping this wouldn’t be about my laughing in class. Ginny ran to catch up with her roommate, Rachel, to get to their next class.

“I suppose I haven’t formally introduced myself. I’m Professor Sprout, your herbology professor and head of house. I want you to that I am one of the few professors Dumbledore told about you and Renee, because he knew I could be trusted. I want you to know that if your demigod heritage is ever causing problems, come talk to me. I’m a daughter of Demeter, although most of the students and staff don’t know that. But I’m trusting you. I will tell your friend when she has her first lesson as well.”

I smiled. “You’re a Demeter? That’s so cool! Now I don’t feel quite so alone.”

Professor Sprout smiled. “And let Renee know she’s welcome in the guest room at all times, which I think you, Kat, and Rebecca must have been the quickest first years yet to discover.”

I grinned. “Thanks, Professor Sprout!” 

I ran to my next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and passed Renee coming down with Sandra. She gave me a quick hug before running down to herbology. 

* * *

**Renee POV**

 

My first class had been Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was kind of a joke. Honestly, I could teach that class better than crazy Professor Lockhart. I’ve actually fought monsters, which is way more than he can say. I didn’t for a second believe anything in his books, although Sandra seems to be in love with him.

I sat down with Sandra at a table near the back. “Sandra, why didn’t you stand up for me last night?”

“You didn’t need it. You handled it well on your own. Besides, they’re not worth it.”

“Are you  _ serious _ right now? Kaylee and Morgana  _ threatened _ me, Sandra!”

“I didn’t hear, I was talking to Gill and Tomasz.”

I nodded skeptically. “Of course you were. And what about Draco? At dinner last night?”

“You handled that one just fine.”

“ _ Really _ ?” I asked. “Sandra, I don’t think I belong in Slytherin.”

“Nonsense, the hat put you here. We all thought it was a fluke when Sophia got in, but then Stacy did, and, well,  _ we _ belong here.”

“Isn’t the hat ever wrong?”

“Occasionally, but trust me, Renee, you belong here.”

I just stared at her

“Alright, I’ll let you in on a secret, even though Stacy told me not to tell anyone. It’s a rite of passage. Slytherins are supposed to be brash, so it was a test to see if you could really stand up for yourself. If you couldn’t, you would have been resorted.”

I only half believed her. When we arrived at the greenhouse, we sat together, but I didn’t know if we could really be friends. I watched as the Ravenclaws filed in. I waved at Luna, the girl from the boat. 

It was only moments before everyone was there, and somehow they had all made it so there wasn’t room left for Luna. She blushed, and I realized she was probably as lonely as I was. “Professor, can you draw up a third chair for this table?”

Sprout came over, saw Luna, and created a chair at once. I heard Kaylee whispering to Morgana and Ariana, probably laughing at me. Some others joined in. Luna gave me a relieved smile, and even Sandra had nodded at the idea. 

Luna was wearing a lime-green dress under her robes, and she had a light and airy way to her; she was slightly distant. 

Sandra raised her eyebrows at me, and I shook my head. I’d explain later. Somehow, I had thought inviting Luna would help, and I couldn’t say why.

Sprout asked us to describe something called a “devil’s snare.” I listened only halfheartedly as a Ravenclaw boy explained it. I couldn’t wait for lunch, when I could finally see Clara. 

I guess I must have zoned out, because Sandra was shaking me and I realized the bell was ringing. “Race ya to lunch!”

I shook my head. I needed a little peace and quiet. As I was walking out, Professor Sprout called out, “Miss Sanderson, a word if I may?”

I groaned, knowing I’d be in trouble, probably for not paying attention.

“I want you to know that you’re always welcome in Hufflepuff,” said the professor, wiping her hands on a towel to get rid of some of the soil on them. I tried not to make a face; what would Mom think if she saw this lady?

“I can tell you aren’t exactly comfortable with your housing placement. The way you helped Miss Lovegood and the way your housemates reacted, well, I strongly discourage the latter. If you have problems with any of them, please come to me. I don’t know if Severus is going to favor you as much as some of the other teachers. You’re….you’re different, Renee. Different from the other Slytherins, and, I imagine, different from the other Aphrodites, if they’re still the same as they were in my day.”

“You know about that?”

“I am one of the few who do. You see, I’m a daughter of Demeter, and I attended camp myself as a young girl. 

“Also, I’m taking two points from Slytherin for Morgana and Kaylee. It would be three, for Ariana, but I’m giving one back because of what you did for Luna.”

I nodded, happy that I had a professor on my side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there’s Herbology. Sorry it was a bit of a filler. 
> 
> I hope you liked the part about Sprout being a Demeter child. I don’t think I can do that with any of the other professor but for Sprout, it’s perfect. I might do something with Trelawney, but then I’d need to make her Clara’s sister, so I don’t know. 
> 
> What do you think of Sandra? Will she help Renee break the Slytherin stigma or will she just drag her down? Only time will tell, and I’m not sure I know myself. I can always see the ending and sometimes a small part of things that happen in the middle, but the beginning is always harder. Anyway, I’m thinking some interesting plot twists in the coming chapter. 
> 
> Please review! Love my readers! <3


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